Silent Hill - Lost Cause
by BlackDiamond95
Summary: A normal life. That was all Cassandra White had wanted. But, ever since her father took her to that place, that cursed town... She knew things would never be the same again. No matter how much she would try and convince herself otherwise. What had happened there, could never be forgotten...
1. Chapter 1

Hello all~

Oh my God, first story...ugh. Bit nervous to see how this turns out.

Finally managed to recover my old Fanfiction account, and decided to post a few story ideas that have been hanging around in my head for like, ages.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. As you can see from the title, it's going to based on one of my favourite game series. SILENT HILL. (Just had to use caps because I love it so much!)

I'm going to try and follow the plot of the first game. Some of the characters belong to me. Don't worry, they ain't no Mary Sue's. I hate those. But their story, or rather, HER story will tie into the main activity of Silent Hill 1. Any fans of the series here, will see the little links I've put in here and there. Very clever.

And I will also do my utmost not to butcher the original and stay true to the the characters, in all their blocky and awkward glory.

Enjoy, comments and reviews are greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1 - You'll Love It

Chapter 1 - You'll Love It

There was just something about the sound of a car engine that made Cassandra sleepy. Maybe it was the constant but muffled humming noise created by the vehicle speeding along the higway, or the soft vibrations she could feel against her head as she leant against the passanger side door. Lazily gazing out at the rather bland scenery rushing by in a flurry of dull greens and greys. Whichever it was, she found herself slumping forward in her seat, head nodding in an effort to stay awake. Much to the vague amusment of her father.

"Tired, are we?"

The sudden voice startled her and she jerked upright in her seat, turning her attention to the man beside her, his eyes still focused on the road. She spoke up, slightly embarassed.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, sweetie. We've had a long day.."

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, he leant back, letting out a long yawn which she found oddly contagious. A short while passed after that and the pair sat in silence as they continued on. Glancing outside yet again, Cassandra watched as the last rays of sun slowly dissapeared behind a distant hillside, bathing the sky and surrounding area in a rich golden hue. It was pretty, she thought to herself, smiling.

"We'll be there soon. Brahms isn't far away now..."

Blinking in mild confusion, she replied.

"...Brahms? I thought we were going somewhere else."

"Brahms is the next town over from where we're headed. Celia said she's gonna meet us there, okay?"

The girl frowned, still facing away from him. It's not like she hated her father's new girlfriend, who could be a litle harsh at times to say the least, but she couldn't do aything about that. It was just, that woman was everywhere. Pretty much every time they went out, whether it was just for the day, a short break or even at home. She was ALWAYS there. It was like her dad's very existance depended on the woman. And it annoyed Cassandra. He never payed that much attention to mum.

"Celia's coming with us?"

She tried her utmost not to sound dissapointed, but judging by his noticably sharp tone and the fact that he had made an unessacarily sharp turn onto another road leading up a small mountinside, she figured he'd suspected something.

" Yep. You don't mind that, do you?"

Even though she wanted to, she decided better than to voice her real opinion.

"No, it's just...you didn't tell me about that."

"Did I need to?"

Thinking it wise to avoid taking the conversation any further, she turned away.

A little while later, they passed a large maroon coloured sign, indicating that they had enterned the district of Brahms. Cassandra looked out at the various quaint buildings they passed, most of them were houses, she couldn't really tell as it was getting pretty dark by now and the lack of street lights didn't exactly help.

As they moved further in, the houses became shops and little resturants, scattered amongst other things, such as parking lots, motels, a police station and a few more buildings of an anonymous nature. Fidgeting with her sleeves, she mumbled.

"It's kinda small...compared to home."

"Well yeah, that's to be expected. But, Silent Hill is a resort town. It's much bigger and once we meet up with Celia, we're gonna head up there and book into a real nice motel that Jack told me about. You remember Jack, right?"

Cassandra wasn't really listening, she was still a bit miffed about Celia accompanying them, yet again.

"Silent Hill? That's a weird name. Why are we going there?"

"Celia's got herself a job as a teaching assistant at one of the schools there and she wants us to come up and see. Plus, it's a pretty hot vacation spot for tourists..."

He chuckled to himself, proud of his evident rhyming talent, running a hand through his dark locks as he continued to speak.

"Loads of kids there your age aswell, apparently."

Catching onto his daughter's silence, he sighed and reached out, rubbing her shoulder affectionatley.

"Don't worry, hon. You'll love it!"

Glancing over, she forced a small smile in his direction.

...

Will I?


	3. Chapter 2 - Arrival

Chapter 2 - Arrival

"Hey babe, it's me..."

Cassandra heaved a sigh, knowing fully well who was on the other end of the line. The quiet feedback of her annoyingly recognisable voice coming from the device was enough of a give away in itself, but her slight discomfort didn't deter her father from using that sickly sweet tone that you'd find most couples doing with each other on a regular basis. If she could've blocked her ears without getting into trouble, she would've.

"Yeah...uh-huh. No, no, we just got here...about five minutes ago, yeah."

He moved forward, peering out of the windshield into the dark streets that stretched beyond the car, the only real source of light being the bright headlights that had been kept on whilst they waited for her to show up.

"Where are you right now? O-oh, right...okay, hon. We'll see ya soon!"

Smiling, he put the phone down, disconnecting the call. However, once he turned to face his daughter, the man's cheery expression quickly faded into that of a solid, irritated scowl and Cassandra could sense it almost immeadiatley without even looking at him.

"Just WHAT is your problem tonight, Cassie?"

"It's nothing, dad. Forget it."

"Don't give me that, young lady. You've been in a bad mood ever since I told you about Celia coming with us."

Angrily raising an eyebrow when she didn't respond, he began to shout.

"Is that what this is all about?!"

Not really expecting him to raise his voice like that, she jumped a little.

"No, dad! I'm fine, alright? Just drop it already!"

Cassandra found herself getting more and more worked up by the second. It was bad enough having him question her about the whole ordeal, especially in such an agressive manner. But, she found her dad's sheer ignorance and denial all the more upsetting. Yet, he was still going to try and pin it all on her, this had happened before and she knew where this was headed. She was sick of it.

"You'd better watch your mouth, girl. You're starting to act incredibly selfish-"

Cutting him off, she spun around in her seat to face him, shouting right back. Furious at her father's unessecary accusation.

"Oh, **I'M **being selfish? Why are we even here, huh? Because of Celia! Why have we driven almost 100 miles to come to a dump like this? Because of Celia! Why did we have to change our vacation plans at the last minute?! Because of Celia! And tell me, why did mum leave?! **BECAUSE OF CELIA! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT YOU AND YOUR NEW GIRLFRIEND, DAD!"**

He looked absolutely flabbergasted, opening his mouth to reply, but no words came out. Cassandra instantly regretted her outburst and tried to apologize, flinching away whe he raised his fist. She was sure that if Celia hadn't rounded the corner nearby at that moment and began to make her way towards the car, the palm of his hand would've made an unpleasant connection with her face.

Noticing the approaching figure, he backed off, casting her a steely glare as he settled back down to greet the woman, who was now standing by his window, carrying a ridiculous amount of luggage with her. As per usual.

He rolled down his window, allowing her to bend down and poke her head through, planting a big wet kiss on the male's cheek, no doubt leaving a thick lipstick stain on his prickly skin. Cassandra almost gagged.

"Hey, told ya I wouldn't be long, didn't I?"

Grinning widely, she regarded the teen, light curly locks falling around her face and bouncing almost mockingly. Cassandra ended up having to avert her eyes, discovering a grotesque amount of the older woman's clevage was on show, just beneath her tightly fitting tank top. The picture of class, Celia looked. Loud, clacking shin high boots accompanied by a distastefully bright miniskirt that clashed with her rather ugly looking purple jacket. She was no fashionista, that much could be said.

"Hope ya'll had a nice trip? Missy here looks a bit tired to me!"

She giggled at the girl's less than impressed reaction at her frequently used nickname of 'missy'.

"Heh, yep. This one sure is. Been kinda disagreeable all night, haven't you, sweetie?"

Cassandra wasn't stupid. Her father wasn't a bully, or a what she would call a bad man. Stern at times, but not bad. But that was definetley a warning, a subtle warning to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the journey, if she knew what was good for her. So she did, however unwillingly.

She kept quiet as her father mindlessly loaded Celia's many belongings into the boot of the car, while she stood by watching and marvelling at his strengtht to lift such heavy items. She kept quiet when she was practically banished to the confines of the back seat to make way for their guest of honour. She kept quiet for the rest of the journey, travelling further up the mountain and onto another long stretch of road.

Blocking out the pair's tedious catch up conversation in the front, which she frankly wanted nothing to do with, Cassandra's thoughts drifted to that of her mother. Where was she right now? What would she think about all this? Ever since she found out that dad was having an affair with another woman, she became increasingly distant from the family. In fact, she didn't even declare her knowledge of the events transpiring at the time. Just, one day, she left. Without a word. And that was the last time Cassandra ever saw her again. Now, it was just her and her father, who was never really one for making the best choices...

Isn't that how we ended up here? She contemplated to herself.

It was a depressing subject to think about, but considering the mood she had been put in, she couldn't really help but let her thoughts stray to happier days, to days she wanted to remember. Not ones of contrived events, in an effort to make things up and take them back to the way they were, as he liked to call it. She knew deep down, that her father felt guilty. That's why he no longer wanted her to talk about it and probably why he lost his temper so badly back there.

Cassandra understood, but didn't sympathize. She couldn't. It was his actions, his doings, his fault that this had happened in the first place. He had plenty of oppertunties to turn things around for all of them. But, he didn't. Why? Need she even say who was responsible for that? **Celia**. When Cassandra had earlier told herself that she didn't hate the woman, she was in denial, too. Just like her dad, to an extent. She had always been taught to be civil to others, to treat them as you would like to be treated yourself.

But, the truth now hit her. That woman had torn their family apart, lured her father away and caused distrust and dysfunction amongst them. Leading to the break up all too quickly. And she believed that Celia had always been aware of it, too.

"Hey, look at that, we're there already."

Celia piped up, pointing towards another sign that whipped past, this time it was a faded green colour. Passing by too fast for Cassandra to properly see it. But, strangely enough, she mumbled the name softly under her breath, without thinking or even meaning to. It was like it was already there, burnt into her memory, just waiting in the back of the girl's mind to rush forward and reveal itself in a sudden ominous realization.

It scared her a little.

"...Silent Hill..."

As they pulled into the parking lot, Cassandra looked up, reading the large plaque on the wall as they drove by. It read `**MOTEL HAERBAY INN'** in bold golden letters. Passing what she assumed to be the main reception, a stout, middle aged man behind the desk glanced up from his work at the sound of the car passing by. He looked worried, to say the least. Maybe it was because he wasn't expecting anyone at this hour, seeming as it was quite late by now. She didn't know, nor did she particularly care. Right now, she just wanted to sleep.

It didn't take long to find a spot, unbuckling her seat belt, Cassandra quickly opened the door and stepped out, stretching her arms and inhaling the cool night air as she did so. The fresh breeze was welcomed into her lungs, being stuck in a stuffy car for most of the day wasn't the most ideal of situations. If someone hadn't broken the air conditioner, it would've been more bearable. Oh well, at least that's over now, she thought, scanning her surroundings again, then something occured to her.

If this Silent Hill place was such a popular resort town like her dad said...where was everybody? It's the middle of summer, and we barely saw anybody on the way in, except for the occasional car or delivery truck. No people though, only the receptionist guy. Mumbling, she looked around some more.

"It's quiet. Too quiet."

There was also a strange, heavy atmosphere. That was the only way to describe it. Foreboding would've been a bit extreme. But, something didn't feel right. Whatever it was. Like, the calm before the storm...

"You alright, sugar?"

Safe to say, Cassandra almost leapt a good few feet into the air, letting out a small shocked yelp when a firm hand landed on her right shoulder, tacky pink acrylic nails digging into her skin. Shuffling away, she spun on her heel to stare wide-eyed at Celia, who was stood by the car, failing to hold back her laughter at the poor girl.

"Hahah! Your face!"

"Don't scare people like that!"

She muttered indignantly, rubbing her arm and shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to another. Waiting for Celia to gain control of her raucous guffawing. Soon enough, she caught her breath, leaning against the car door.

"I'm sorry, but your face was just priceless! Ah, wish I had a camera..."

"What do you want, Celia?"

Raising her arms up in mock defense, she smiled in an almost patronising way.

"Hey, hey! No need to get all hostile on me, sweetheart. Just came to tell ya, daddy's gone to book us all in, kay?"

Cassandra bit down on her tongue, preventing herself from reacting to that statement. She just knew that was what Celia wanted.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble while we're here, Cassie..."

Striding forward, she bent down to the younger girl's level, looking her right in the eyes as she continued. That smug smirk still plastered on her face

"But mess this up for me...and I'll show you-"

Interrupted mid-sentence by Cassandra's father leaving the reception, twirling a set of keys around his finger proudly, she straightented up, brushing her skirt off and walking over to him.

"Aw, hon. That's was quick! Ya get it all sorted?"

"Mhmm. I'll tell ya something though..."

If looks could kill, Celia would've been well and truly dead by now. Cassandra watched as the pair proceeded to unload the car and, of course, the ditzy blonde woman made him carry all her things, too. But he wouldn't say anything, he never did. Besides, when an oppertunity reveals itself, her dad could be quite a show off. The only real help she provided was unlocking the apartment door. As they stepped inside, Cassandra just managed to catch the last part of what he was saying.

"That receptionist guy...real creepy."

Hearing this, she glanced over her shoulder towards the seperate block where her father had come out of. There, stood behind the window, staring out at her, was the very man that had just been mentioned. The receptionist. Now that she had a proper view of him, she noticed a lot more things about him that were...unsettling. His hair, a greasy, untidy mess, his brown suit looked like it hadn't been washed in over a month, with a few questionable stains on the shirt added to that. There were a lot of things to be deemed creepy about this man, but what topped it off, was his eyes. Wide, unblinking and bloodshot. Dark bags hung underneath them, only seeming to emphasize their burning intensity as they bore into her.

Needless to say, Cassandra ran, and boy did she run, straight into the sanctuary of the apartment they had just rented, clumsily tripping on the step leading up to the door and stumbling inside, franticly slamming the door shut and crouching down with her back against the hard wooden surface. Doing everything she could at that moment to rid herself of that frightful image she just witnessed.

_**No sleep tonight, then.**_


	4. Chapter 3 - Curiosity Killed The Cat

Chapter 3 - Curiosity Killed The Cat

As predicted, Cassandra didn't get much sleep that night at all. She had tossed and turned in her bed, trying to shut out the image of the strange man watching her silently from the window. A creeping paranoia soon set in and at one point, she even considered climbing into bed with her father and Celia, just to know that she was safe, that nothing could get her. Though she did feel ashamed, that was the kind of thing a child would do when they had a nightmare. Run screaming to their parents in the middle of the night because of some silly, non-existant night terror that had woken them abruptly from a peacful slumber. Girl's like Cassandra, who were almost fifteen years old, didn't do that.

It was only a few hours later, when the hazy rays of early morning light peeked through the drapes that she knew the mental turmoil would be over. Finally, she drifted off, comforted by that fact. Resting her weary head while she still could.

...

"Afternoon sweetheart, don't you think it's about time you got up now?"

Cassandra groaned, awoken by her father's persistent but gentle shaking. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she turned over to face the man, her eyes stung.

"Wh-what...Afternoon? Was I really asleep for that long?"

Smiling sympathetically, he nodded, reaching out and ruffling her messy hair.

"Hahah...yep. Girl's need their beauty sleep, don't they?"

Giggling softly, she looked up. Mildly confused at his sudden change of mood compared to the previous night.

"Listen Cassie, Celia's not here, I dropped her off at the school a little while ago. Get up and get yourself ready, we're gonna head out for lunch. Plus, we need to talk."

Standing, he turned on his heel and walked towards the door. Cassandra quickly sat up, calling out for him to stop.

"Dad wait! I'm..."

She trailed off, casting her gaze down when he paused, listening to what she had to say next.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, you're not."

"But-"

"Just hurry up, okay? We haven't got all day."

Then he left, qiuetly closing the door, leaving the girl slightly bewildered. Rolling out of bed, she trudged over to her suitcase in order to get ready.

...

"Cassie."

She hesitantly looked up from her meal, locking eyes with her father. Staying silent and allowing him to continue.

"I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"About yesterday, it was wrong of me to loose my temper like that. I'm sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay. You didn't-"

Her father held up his hand, signaling for her to stop. Looking at her sternly, he leant forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"I did. And, I'm sorry. Things just..."

He faltered, as if he was unsure about saying anything else. He knew Cassandra didn't really want to talk about it, judging by her forlorn expression. But, he continued anyway. Feeling that he had to take responsibility for his actions as an adult.

"Just...got out of hand. I was stressed and...look, I-I didn't mean to be like that. Since your mother left, it's all changed so quickly for me.

" You mean us."

Nodding, he mentally scolded himself for putting it that way. He hadn't thought through this properly.

"Y-yes, us, sweetie. Yesterday's situation didn't help. But, that wasn't your fault. I can understand why you're upset.

Cassandra swallowed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, matching his serious gaze.

" Tell me why."

"Why?"

"Why I'm upset. If you're so sure."

"W-Well, because..."

She felt bad, but couldn't really guess why. Maybe it was his hesitancy, or his awkward shifting eyes. Cassandra could tell he was searching for an excuse. Even though, she felt that she was putting him under pressure, a small part of her wanted for him to realize, realize and acknowledge what he'd done.

"Because of being away from her. I know it must be hard."

A shot in the dark, that was. And she knew it. Lips tightening in annoyance, she replied.

"It is..."

"But, Celia's helped, hasn't she? We should be grateful for that."

He smiled, taking his wallet from his pocket and placing a tip on the table as they were both nearly done with their food. There was so much more to be said about that previous statement, but she simply didn't have the patience or energy to deal with it now.

He was still clueless.

"Alright, glad we got that sorted. We'd better finish up here..."

Glancing down at his watch, he gulped down the last of his drink, setting it down on the table as Cassandra chewed her last bite of greasy burger.

"Right, I'm gonna go and get Celia. She's waiting. Could you do me a favour, Cass?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

Placing some money into her hand, he dug around in his pocket for his car keys.

"There's a store just up the road, run in the and grab some milk and bread for us. We need some for breakfast tomorrow. You know where the motel is, right?"

She nodded, masking her unenthusiasm about the task.

"I'll give you the keys to our apartment, you should be back long before us. So you can let us in once we get back, that okay?"

"Sure, that's fine."

"Thanks, sweetie."

Kissing her forehead affectionatley, he then strode over to the red ford parked closeby, he slipped inside, grinning contentedly back at her before starting the engine. She waved, watching him go. Once he dissapeared around the corner, she turned her attention in the direction of the mentioned store that she had to go to. Fantastic.

"Well, better get going."

Getting to her feet, she grabbed her small handbag she'd conveniently brought with her and set off down the street. Cassandra paced down the sidewalk, taking in her surroundings. Now that it was daytime, she was comforted to know that the town wasn't abandoned after all, close to it, but not completley. Putting it down to thinking the residents just didn't like to be out at night. That could sometimes be common in small towns like this, where everybody knew each other. Things get around quickly and maybe there was some sort of custom or curfew, she suspected.

She didn't know much about Silent Hill. Only that it was a supposedly beautiful place with a perfect, predictable climate all year round and part of it had been recently converted in a resort area to attract tourists. She figured that must've been the town's funding base or something, the place was definetly in need of it. She passed the occasional person in the street, politely bowing her head in greeting or offering them a small "Afternoon" as they crossed paths. Those that even bothered to look at her seemed, off, to say the least. Watching her closely with suspicious eyes as she walked past them. It even got to the point where she wanted to question them on it, but thought better. Most of the people she'd seen so far gave her the creeps, anyway. Engaging in conversation, not matter what the context, struck her as off-putting straight away. Still, she could've just had something on her face or stuck in her teeth. Granted, she just ate. She decided to stop and just get on with the task at hand, now feeling a tad self-conscious.

Reaching the store, she gave the amount of change her dad had given her a quick once over. Assuming it would be enough, she went to step in through the main door, but was stopped in her tracks by an unexpected sight, surprised at herself for not noticing. She backed away, letting go of the handle and standing back to assess the scene in front of her. A large congregation of people were bustling noisily around a small and fairly unremarkable looking building. Looking up, Cassandra noted that it was an antique store. Intrigued by the hubbub, she decided to investigate. Being a girl of a strikingly curious nature, she sauntered over. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she weaved her way into the crowd, being that the structure had no windows for her to peak through. Settling herself in the centre, she scanned the mass of people.

They all seemed to be old, or middle-age to put it nicely. No kids at all. Dad had lied when he said that there would be people around her age here. Standing on the tips of her toes, she tried to get a clear view of the entrance, a dark corridor that lead to some steps heading down into the building. That's weird, Cassandra pondered to herself. After a short while, the crowd's noise died to a few concealed whispers and remarks as an elderly woman hobbled up the stairs, followed by a tall, stocky man who looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, with slicked back hair and a grey business suit. She thought that to be a rather odd combination. Soon, it had gotten unusually quiet, as the pair stood in the doorway, the woman had an unreadable smile tugging at the wrinkled corners of her mouth. Whereas the dark-haired male stood still, a hard glare etched into his defined features. He looked intimidating.

"My followers!"

The old crone announced loudly, arms spreading wide as she addressed the crowd, who were all listening intently.

"We are gathered here today to bear witness to the initiation of my daughter, Alessa Gillespie, the Holy Mother!"

**What in the hell is this all about?**

Cassandra curled her lip in confused distaste when a few of the members around her shouted in unison. The woman continued.

"Welcomed into the arms of our God, our divine master, Samael!"

More people began to shout, and Cassandra found herself wishing she'd have just minded her own business. Turning, she attempted to push her way back through the crowd and into a more open space. But, nobody was moving. They didn't even know or care that she was there. All were focused on that crazy old bat and her passionate rambling.

"All of you are worthy of being here today and have deserved the right to witness this miracle! Our first step on the path to Paradise!"

By now, the townsfolk gathered around were screaming, and hollering, a cocophony of sounds that hurt the girl's ears. Battered around a bit by the many waving limbs that threatened to strike her in the head. She was the only short one there, probably why she hadn't been noticed yet. Stumbling, she bumped into somebody, knocking them out of their frenzied stupour. Whipping around, they stopped, staring wide-eyed at the girl. Both couldn't say anything. Only stare. Cassandra knew that the woman was trying to spout some more gibberish, but was being drowned out by the rising yells and cheers.

**"QUIET!"**

The man in the suit suddenly bellowed at the top of his lungs, startling the crowd into silence. The person Cassandra had nearly knocked over looked around in a panic, clearly trying to think of something to say as it was now practically silent.

"Let her finish."

He commanded in a gruff tone, looking towards the old woman and waiting for her to continue, as did the other townsfolk.

"Now, if you will all follow me down to our second church in an orderly fashion. We can be begin."

The pair returned to the building, going down the narrow passageway. The woman's request hadn't sunk in at all, as people started pushing and shoving to get inside first. Cassandra was immeadiatley caught up in the wave of people and was dragged towards the entrance, struggling to break away. She didn't want to shout out, sensing that she'd be in serious trouble if she ended up getting caught. Soon, the girl was being rushed down the stairs in the midst of a cramped, impatient crowd of what she assumed to be religious nutcases. So many thoughts were flashing in her mind and she didn't know what to do. She had lost sight of the only person that had noticed her presence, which was the least of her concerns right now. Calming herself, Cassandra hurriedly came to the conclusion that she could sneak out when they all got inside and hopefully simmered down. It was dark, so nobody should see her. Plus, she wanted to know what was going on here. That was the whole reason she'd made this little detour in the first place.

The interior interior of the shop was small, bleak and dusty, which made it hard to breathe. The amount of people wedged into the room didn't help either. What Cassandrs thought was strange, was the venue they were using. Didn't religous ceremonies usually take place in churches? Even ones as bizarre as this.

A shoddy little antique store wasn't the place for this kind of thing.

"This way."

The woman directed the crowd to another passageway that went off to the side, going through, everybody eagerly followed, chatting amongst themselves exitedly. Cassandra nearly lost her balance as she clipped the corner of a dated looking coffee table hidden away in the dark, reaching out she steadied the wobbling lamp that sat atop it before it could fall and most likely break. The last thing she wanted to do was attract attention to herself by making a loud noise. She didn't know what would happen. Walking down the dank passage, they entered another room, which was noticably bigger than the last. This allowed the crowd to spread out and have something relative to their own space.

Cassandra looked around, taking in the room and it's peculiar decor. It must've been a cellar or something, that had been cleverly adapted into a place of worship, with an unfittingly expensive looking altar situated at the front, which the two leaders, the mysterious man and woman, were now stood in front of, discussing something quietly. She couldn't hear what they were saying over the many voices echoing through out the room. Turning to adress the other members, the woman spoke up again.

"Now, we shall consume the white gift of God. That he has so graciously bestowed upon us. So we can all become one in the sacred ritual!"

They cheered, some shouting out strange names that Cassandra had never heard of before, others chanting equally unidentifiable religous quotes that made little to no sense. Hustling themselves into something resembling a que, they lined up, each person stepping forward to be presented with a chalice from the altar, which they brought close to their faces. Cassandra watched nervously from within the crowd as one person lifted the cup, inhaling it's contents greedily, before setting it back down with a shaky hand. Coughing uncontrollably, they turned, eyes watering from whatever it was and made their way unsteadily towards another door at the back of the room. Cassandra decided it was best to follow the few people that were moving on into the other room, so as not to get found out.

It had only just occurred to her that she was technically trespassing. Her mind had been so busy with the things taking place before her, that she had completely forgotten she was supposed to be back at the motel a good while ago, waiting for her dad and Celia to return. Then it hit her, a familiar face in the crowd, though the feeeling wasn't welcome at all, far from it. The creepy receptionist was there, staggering into the seperate structure that some of the others were entering after taking the strange substance that the woman had deemed 'The White Gift'. Weeding her way through the members, none of them really seemed to pay attention to her. All seemed to be in a vacant, trance-like state. Cassandra chewed her lip as they all stopped, the room was lit by only a few large candles that provided minimum light to the scene, the corners of his room delved into a pitch black that seemed to call out to her, beckoning her to come closer with flickering tendrils of darkness. Glancing over at the receptionist, she noted that the majority of the room shared the same bloodshot eyes she had seen not long before. All were focused on a large stone table in the centre of the room, on it lay a girl. She looked no more than to be a couple of years or so behind Cassandra, with jet balck hair and wide, terrified eyes that darted around upon seeing the crowd now gathered. She was strapped down with some thick, plastic binds that had been screwed down into the stone surface. She struggled, tugging at her bonds as the members got closer, chanting menacingly. As their voices rose, they girl began to cry. Cassandra's heart dropped at the sight. Abruptly, the chaotic din silenced, as the old woman made her way through the mass of people, who had parted to make way for her. Pacing over to the distressed girl, she leant down, soothinly stroking her head and whispering words of fake reassurance.

"Shh...it's all going to be alright Alessa, my dear."

"Momma...I-I...I'm not going to die am I, momma?"

Whimpering timidly, Cassandra turned around. Not wanting to witness anymore. She could only put this whole gathering down to one thing. Drugs. This was some kind of cult, and they were going to do something terrible to this poor little girl all under the influence of some disgusting kind of drug.

**She had to get out of there.**

Scared, she shoved her way towards the open door, pushing past many more people that were deliriously filing in. The crowd was beginning to thin out a little and she had more of a chance to escape. If she was quick enough, she could get out and run back to the motel, not say anything and try to forget this whole thing ever happened. She'd think of an excuse for her father later. She just had to get out. That was all that mattered right now.

"HEY, C'MERE!"

A booming voice rang out from nearby and a rough hand grabbed her arm in a grip that resembled a vice. Cassandra screamed, thrashing around instinctivley, but the hand wouldn't let go, only tighten it's hold on her to the point where she was crying out in pain.

"GET OFF ME! LET GO!"

"HOLD STILL, DAMN IT!"

It was the man in the suit. He glared down at her furiously, gritting his teeth in an effort to restrain her as she writhed defiantly against him. He spared a quick glance up and his face paled upon seeing that the whole room was now watching them in scrutiny. Everybody was staring at them. The man tensed, stepping out into the previous room and hauling Cassandra out alongside side him. The last thing she saw before the door was slammed violently shut in her face was the petrified eyes of the girl on the table, silently pleading to be freed.

_**And Cassandra could do nothing.**_

...

Wow, Cassandra's kind of stupid, isn't she?

Sorry for the late update, guys. I've just been a bit busy latley. Many pardons.

Can you guess who the mysterious man is? You get a golden star if you do.

Maybe a cookie. Maybe. If I haven't eaten them all already.


End file.
